We specialise in needlecrafts, patchwork, quilting, cross stitch, tapestry, felting and so much more. As we attend different events, launch new products, learn new techniques and who knows what else might takes our fancy, we will share our adventures with you.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

I like how Shelly have change the monthly totals by mixing them up. So how many blocks do we need to make this month.This month's total is 35 blocks.
I have to start with my Simply Sign Me blocks. They have to be finished and posted off so they reach their destination before the deadline. All 29 done.

And 5 En Provence block got finished. Here is four of them done. I only manage to squeeze the last one in on time.

1 large star block which become this cushion.

So my total for February is 36 blocks.
I wonder how many I will make in March as it is a very busy month.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

What a afternoon of sewing. I am very happy to get some sewing time in. It is a precious thing to be able to sit down at the machine for a few hours with so much else happening.
Progress has been made on the new Block of the Month, which will start around the middle of the year. I can't tell you much yet but I can tell you the pattern is from a well known Australian designer, it will be a machine piecing quilt this time and it will feature Riley Blake Design fabrics in it. Is that another clue I let slip?

You may have seen me working on this star panel over the last couple of weeks and if you have seen my post for the One Monthly Goal you would know I was aim to get the star pieced and appliqued on to the back ground fabric. I managed that.

Yippie!! I was able to take it to completion on Saturday afternoon.

To this finished project. I can tick another project off my Project Uninterrupted list with this finish too. Plus it is now a workshop sample.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

It is time for February's One Monthly Goal report. The month is coming to the end and it is time to report in.
I can say I did meet this month goal to get this star sewn together.

The before shot.

Plus I managed to stitch it on to the background fabric. Now to decide on the border so I can finish this off as a cushion I think.

That will probably be my March goal to complete it as time in March will be limited for sewing but there will be plenty of other exciting stuff happening.
Pop over to Elm Street Quilts to see how other did with their goals this month.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

I am going to show you where I am up to on the En Provence quilt.I am a little disappointed that I am not further along but there hasn't been a lot of sewing time lately.

So here we go, after stitching the first couple of blocks together I decide 6 blocks would be enough for this quilt. Knowing sewing time has been and will be short until April I think a smaller quilt will hopefully help me get closer to a finish than a large version. I counted out the blocks I had already made and set about making the balance needed.

The sashing strips will look a bit like this once I sew them together.

The plan is to finish the last two blocks then start on the sashing.
Until Next Time
Keep Stitching
Cynthia

Monday, February 13, 2017

That sums up my week. Computer work and more computer work. I want to sew and it is not happening.
This week we have been doing a big upgrade on the web shop, lots of stuff to do and check before we re-launch next week. Hopefully this will make the site more user friendly for mobile devices than the old shop. I have been learning lots and at times pulling my hair out because I couldn't find what I was looking for. It is nearly done.

The other thing I have been working on is our next Block of the Month which will start later this year after Pemberley finishes. I can tell you the pattern has been selected. The pattern is from a leading Australian designer and it will be a machine piecing project. Something different from Pemberley. Lots of colour.
I thank everyone for their input from my previous post on this topic and I have combined all the names from the blog and Facebook in the draw for the promised fabric bundle.

The winner is Marjorie Gleeson. I will post your prize to you shortly.

So now it is back in my hands to work out the fabrics (range is selected) and get the sample sewn together in time for the launch, as you all want to see the finished quilt before signing up.

Monday, February 6, 2017

We are 3/4 through our Pemberley Block of the month and it is time to start the work for our next one. Pemberley was the first BOM I have run and there has been some hiccups along the way, which had me thinking I will never do this again. Now things have settled down I am revisiting the idea and I am thinking I need to be in more control. Set it up myself, select the pattern, calculate the yardage myself, plan the quilt in the right order to go out, make the quilt beforehand, etc.
So now I have some questions for you. If you could just answer these simple questions in the comments box below that would be great. To show my appreciation that you took the time to answer my question, I will giveaway a little fabric bundle randomly on the 12th February to a lucky quilter.

1 Do you like participating BOM quilts?

2. If you were going to do a BOM what technique/s would you prefer? (eg machine piecing, hand piecing, applique etc.)

3. Would you like a set colour palette? (eg Each month I tell you what fabric goes where or would you like a little freedom and I tell you, you can make this month's blocks from any of the fabrics in that month's pack.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

It was our February Project Uninterrupted session in the shop being the first Saturday of the month. I was glad it wasn't a scorched like last month. Everyone was doing hand work this month. I can tell you there was 3 Pemberley quilts, 1 Octagon Club, 1 Farmer's Wife Sampler, 1 embroidery project and my English paper pieced star project on the go. A nice mix of projects and progress was made with a lot of catching up. It makes for a very relaxing day. Even though a couple of customers that popped wasn't sure how much progress was being made for all the chatting but that is the beauty of handwork. It is easy to hold a conversation.

Our next Project Uninterrupted session is on the 19th February and there is a few spots still available for our Sunday session if you would like to join us. Give the shop a call to book your spot. My project didn't see much action as the shop was busy but I did manage to sew a few diamonds together in the afternoon. These days are great fun.

Of course if you can't make it to the shop to join in, you can join the Cynthia's Ark Project Uninterrupted Facebook group and share what you are working on and sew along with us in the shop from wherever in the world you are. As long as you sewing you are welcome.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Time to select this month challenge. As February is a short month I thought I would choose a small project to work on this month.

Here it is it. An English paper piecing star project where I have fussy cut the diamonds to create a secondary pattern in the star. The star is ready for sewing and the plan is to sew it all together this month and get it sewn on to the background fabric before the end of February. Who know I may find more sewing time and get to quilt it. Now that would be fantastic but I won't hold my breath and I will be happy if I get it sewn together and sewn on the background fabric. This is what I am using for the background.

If you want to join in or have a look at what others are going to work on this month. here is the link